Mechanical behavior of mesoporous titania thin films.

Nanoindentation is used to assess mechanical properties of ordered mesoporous titania thin films with pore sizes in the range of 8-16 nm. Estimates of strut properties are obtained under the standard scaling assumptions widely used in porous media. The inferred hardness and fracture toughness of individual struts are found to correspond to anatase titania, indicating the absence of obvious size effects in the nanostructured ceramic. This is in marked contrast to nanoporous metals, where size effects often play a crucial role in determining material properties at similar length scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]